Fugitive found in Wilmington says he got caught for being stupid

Published: Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10:13 p.m.

Nearly 27 years ago, Charles Sparks disappeared after escaping from a Florida prison work assignment in a 1976 Pontiac LeMans, authorities said.

Last week, he turned up in Wilmington – a fugitive from justice living under a dead man's name.

On Saturday, the man incarcerated at the New Hanover County jail as Sparks claimed he was William Bolyn Garrett – a Danville, Va. native who died of a heart attack at age 43 on Dec. 7, 1983.

“I'm Bill Garrett,” Sparks said, speaking at the jail where he is being held without bond.

Sparks, a 69-year-old charged with financial identity fraud, false pretense and being a fugitive, answered some questions, but avoided others saying he couldn't talk about his case until it was resolved.

But what the man behind the glass said gave a glimpse into another, darker life.

“Just as soon as everything is settled up, maybe I'll write a book on how it is to be a fugitive for 30 years and other things prior to that, and how it is to die in prison,” he said. “How about flying in loads of drugs into the United States, having skirmishes with other armies in other countries of the world – things like that.”

Sparks said he tried to prove his identity to detectives by showing them the contents of his wallet, which he said contained a driver's license, Costco card, car insurance, a National Rifle Association card and a credit card in Garrett's name.

“They tried to twist everything,” he said of investigators.

But investigators say it was Sparks who twisted the truth – even after he was shown a death certificate with Garrett's name and they matched his fingerprints.

Garrett's twin brother, Bob Garrett, lives in Danville, Va. The 70-year-old man said he was surprised to hear that someone had been using his brother's identity for all these years. He said his brother had suffered from high blood pressure and left behind a wife.

“I would like to know how he did it,” he said in a telephone interview of Sparks. “How he got the information. And the only way I think we'll ever know is if he confesses.”

Sparks said he had been living on a boat before he was arrested last week. In the interview, he didn't say where it was docked, but admitted the boat was somewhere in South Carolina. He said it had two bedrooms and a bathroom with a living room and kitchen and space in the back to fish.

A manager at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club in Little River, S.C., who would only identify himself as Bud, said he knew Sparks as “Bill Garrett.”

“He is a very, very quiet man, and he doesn't say much about anything,” the manager said, adding that Sparks kept to himself and rented a boat slip from him. Bud said that Sparks owned the boat in which he lived, and boat slips rent out for between $400 and $715 a month.

Sparks had a reason to keep quiet.

That's because he escaped from prison when he was working on a car wash detail cleaning a 1976 Pontiac LeMans that he drove off in, according to a news release from the Florida prison system. He had only served about two years of a 20-year sentence for trafficking Quaaludes.

Since his escape, Sparks has been listed as a wanted fugitive in Florida. Sparks will be extradited to Florida to serve his sentence after his case is resolved in North Carolina, a spokeswoman has said.

After Sparks escaped, he obtained a driver's license from Georgia in William Garrett's name a month after his death, and then two years ago, he got a North Carolina license using the same name, according to the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office.

Sparks said he's been remodeling homes and businesses for about three decades, living in North and South Carolina as well as Georgia.

When asked where he was born, Sparks said he was born and raised in the Virginia mountains, but declined to give specifics other than to say his parents were farmers.

Sparks lived under the radar until Wednesday when authorities arrested him after he went in for a scheduled appointment at the Wilmington Social Security office.

Sheriff's detectives had been working with the Social Security Administration since the end of February to arrest Sparks after an employee had become suspicious of him when he tried to apply for benefits. The employee had notified supervisors, who confirmed he was using the dead man's identity.

Sparks said he got caught for being stupid because he was trying to pay hospital medical bills after suffering a heart attack about five months ago. He said he had open-heart surgery and now uses a pacemaker.

Bob Garrett said he was pleased to see how the federal and local authorities worked together to arrest Sparks.

“He'll probably spend the rest of his life under lock and key,” he said. “It's a good place for him.”

<p>Nearly 27 years ago, Charles Sparks disappeared after escaping from a Florida prison work assignment in a 1976 Pontiac LeMans, authorities said.</p><p>Last week, he turned up in Wilmington – a fugitive from justice living under a dead man's name.</p><p>On Saturday, the man incarcerated at the New Hanover County jail as Sparks claimed he was William Bolyn Garrett – a Danville, Va. native who died of a heart attack at age 43 on Dec. 7, 1983.</p><p>“I'm Bill Garrett,” Sparks said, speaking at the jail where he is being held without bond. </p><p>Sparks, a 69-year-old charged with financial identity fraud, false pretense and being a fugitive, answered some questions, but avoided others saying he couldn't talk about his case until it was resolved. </p><p>But what the man behind the glass said gave a glimpse into another, darker life. </p><p>“Just as soon as everything is settled up, maybe I'll write a book on how it is to be a fugitive for 30 years and other things prior to that, and how it is to die in prison,” he said. “How about flying in loads of drugs into the United States, having skirmishes with other armies in other countries of the world – things like that.”</p><p>Sparks said he tried to prove his identity to detectives by showing them the contents of his wallet, which he said contained a driver's license, Costco card, car insurance, a National Rifle Association card and a credit card in Garrett's name. </p><p>“They tried to twist everything,” he said of investigators.</p><p>But investigators say it was Sparks who twisted the truth – even after he was shown a death certificate with Garrett's name and they matched his fingerprints.</p><p>Garrett's twin brother, Bob Garrett, lives in Danville, Va. The 70-year-old man said he was surprised to hear that someone had been using his brother's identity for all these years. He said his brother had suffered from high blood pressure and left behind a wife.</p><p>“I would like to know how he did it,” he said in a telephone interview of Sparks. “How he got the information. And the only way I think we'll ever know is if he confesses.”</p><p>Sparks said he had been living on a boat before he was arrested last week. In the interview, he didn't say where it was docked, but admitted the boat was somewhere in South Carolina. He said it had two bedrooms and a bathroom with a living room and kitchen and space in the back to fish.</p><p>A manager at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club in Little River, S.C., who would only identify himself as Bud, said he knew Sparks as “Bill Garrett.” </p><p>“He is a very, very quiet man, and he doesn't say much about anything,” the manager said, adding that Sparks kept to himself and rented a boat slip from him. Bud said that Sparks owned the boat in which he lived, and boat slips rent out for between $400 and $715 a month.</p><p>Sparks had a reason to keep quiet. </p><p>That's because he escaped from prison when he was working on a car wash detail cleaning a 1976 Pontiac LeMans that he drove off in, according to a news release from the Florida prison system. He had only served about two years of a 20-year sentence for trafficking Quaaludes. </p><p>Since his escape, Sparks has been listed as a wanted fugitive in Florida. Sparks will be extradited to Florida to serve his sentence after his case is resolved in North Carolina, a spokeswoman has said.</p><p>After Sparks escaped, he obtained a driver's license from Georgia in William Garrett's name a month after his death, and then two years ago, he got a North Carolina license using the same name, according to the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9932"><b>New Hanover County Sheriff</b></a>'s Office.</p><p>Sparks said he's been remodeling homes and businesses for about three decades, living in North and South Carolina as well as Georgia.</p><p>When asked where he was born, Sparks said he was born and raised in the Virginia mountains, but declined to give specifics other than to say his parents were farmers.</p><p>Sparks lived under the radar until Wednesday when authorities arrested him after he went in for a scheduled appointment at the Wilmington Social Security office.</p><p>Sheriff's detectives had been working with the Social Security Administration since the end of February to arrest Sparks after an employee had become suspicious of him when he tried to apply for benefits. The employee had notified supervisors, who confirmed he was using the dead man's identity. </p><p>Sparks said he got caught for being stupid because he was trying to pay hospital medical bills after suffering a heart attack about five months ago. He said he had open-heart surgery and now uses a pacemaker.</p><p>Bob Garrett said he was pleased to see how the federal and local authorities worked together to arrest Sparks.</p><p>“He'll probably spend the rest of his life under lock and key,” he said. “It's a good place for him.”</p><p>Veronica Gonzalez: 343-2008</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>.com: @StarNewsCrime</p>